A.N. Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait. The first version of this chapter wasn't up to snuff so I had to do significant rewrites. I hope it was worth the wait!

*If you're Naekusaba trash like I am (and I know you are cause you're reading this) please check out my sister's art blog on tumblr. She's followed me into Danganronpa shipping hell and has done several great Naekusaba pieces, one of which is the cover art for this story on ! Her blog is called Sumomosketches, send her some love!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danganronpa, cause if I did I would make sure Pepto-bismol was my sponsor.

OoOoOo

Mukuro's blood ran cold. Her fingers relaxed, the hairbrush clattering into the sink. Then she was moving. Kyoko was already at the door. She made a startled sound when Mukuro shoved her bodily aside in her haste to get into the hall. She made a beeline to Makoto's door and hammered her fist on the wood in a desperate tempo.

The door opened a moment later to reveal a surprised Sayaka. Of course. She'd tricked Makoto into switching rooms with her last night. Mukuro cursed, briefly fixing Sayaka with a glare before moving down the hall to Sayaka's door.

"Makoto!" she said urgently, tapping her knuckles on the wood. "Makoto please open the door!" Her heart was in her throat. She was having trouble breathing. Was she having another attack? It didn't matter. She had to know he was okay. "Makoto! Damn it, open up!" There was no answer. She rounded on Sayaka, who was staring at her, perplexed. "I swear to God if you hurt him…" Mukuro grabbed a fistful of Sayaka's uniform and pulled her close. "Where is he?"

Sayaka gripped Mukuro's arm, her eyes wide with terror. "I didn't do anything! I swear!" She shook her head desperately.

"Mukuro, please calm down," Kyoko said, touching her gently on the shoulder. "Why would Sayaka hurt Makoto?"

Mukuro shifted her glare to Kyoko. "Get your hand off me," she growled through clenched teeth. "You don't know what kind of person she is. I saw-"

The door to Sayaka's room clicked and swung inward. Makoto ran out into the hall. His hair was dripping with water and matted to his head. His clothing was wet and dishevelled, sticking to him in several places. "I'm sorry, I was in the shower when the announcement came on. What-" He froze when he saw the scene in front of him. "Mukuro? What are you doing?"

The knot that had formed in Mukuro's chest relaxed. For a moment, she couldn't move; she could only stare at him dumbly. Her legs felt like they could give out at any moment. She released Sayaka and closed the distance between herself and Makoto, pulling him into a desperate embrace.

Makoto's face turned bright red, but he returned the hug. "Mukuro? Are you okay? What's going on?"

Mukuro couldn't bring herself to speak. She settled for squeezing him harder and burying her face into his shoulder. She could feel his warmth. He was safe. He was alive.

"I believe Mukuro was concerned for your safety, Makoto." Kyoko suggested. Her eyes flickered between the pair and Sayaka. "I believe she was distraught to find Sayaka in your room and simply assumed the worse."

"Oh…" Makoto murmured. "I'm sorry, Mukuro."

When he spoke, his breath tickled Mukuro's ear and she suddenly realized how close they were. It took her several seconds to coerce her arms into releasing their grip on Makoto. She finally managed to make them let go; they fell limply to her sides. Makoto held her for a moment more before releasing his hold as well. Mukuro stepped back, staring at the ground. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"No, you don't have anything to be sorry for," Makoto said, scratching his face worriedly. "I'm sorry I worried you."

Kyoko laughed softly. "I'm sure Sayaka would disagree with that assessment."

Sayaka's eyes widened. "No!" she waved her hands frantically. "I get it; she was just upset. She didn't hurt me so no harm done!" Sweat stood out on the popstar's head, and she couldn't seem to decide which foot to stand on.

Mukuro grimaced, lifting her face to look at Sayaka. "No, Kyoko's right. I shouldn't have grabbed you. I'm sorry, Sayaka." This only seemed to increase Sayaka's agitation.

Makoto's face turned pale. "Monokuma's announcement! What happened?"

"Guys!" Mondo's voice echoed down the hallway. "You need to come to laundry room. Pronto!"

OoOoOo

The smell of blood hung thickly in the air, metallic and sharp. The pink liquid was splattered across the floor and walls, painting a gruesome picture of struggle. Mukuro covered her nose as she walked further into the crime scene.

The source of the blood was sitting on top of a washing machine. Yasuhiro Hagakure's face was frozen in a mask of agony. His shirt hung in tatter and his chest was covered in deep lacerations. His hands were pinned to the wall by two pairs of scissors, dried rivulets of blood trailed down the plaster and disappeared behind the machine. Above his head, scrawled sloppily in thick, bloody letters were two words: Bloodstain Fever.

Byakuya, Mondo, and Celeste were crowded around the corpse. "It appears we have our first victim. How unfortunate." Celeste covered a smile with her hand.

High-pitched laughter filled the room. "Ding-ding!" Monokuma shouted. He strode through a puddle of blood, leaving smeared paw prints on the tile. "Our first blackened has made their appearance!"

"Yes. I believe that much is obvious," Byakuya said coolly, adjusting his glasses.

Sayaka looked like she was going to be sick. "This is terrible." She covered her mouth and turned her back on the corpse.

"Who found him?" Kyoko asked, leaning in to get a better look at Hiro.

"I did," Mondo said. He nodded at the basket on a nearby table. "I was gonna do some laundry before breakfast."

Kyoko nodded, touching her chin thoughtfully. "Why were you two out of your rooms so early?" She asked, glancing between Celeste and Byakuya. "I seem to remember that both of you are normally among the last to arrive in the morning."

Celeste smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Oh my, it appears I am a suspect." She waved her hand dismissively. "I assure you, it was not me. I was simply on my way to the cafeteria for a glass of water. The biker flagged me down while I was in the hall."

Mondo nodded. "Yeah, she was the first person I saw when I ran to get help."

"What about yourself, Byakuya?"

Byakuya scoffed. "My reasons for being out are my own. Suffice to say that 'the biker' also just happened to find me in the hall."

A vain appeared on Mondo's forehead. "Hey! I do have name you know!"

"Really? I guess you're just not important enough for me to take note of it," Byakuya replied.

Mukuro watched Mondo's fingers curl into a fist. Byakuya clearly wasn't used to be in a vulnerable position. If Mondo wanted to, he could break the prodigy like a piece of kindling; there would be no way for anyone present to stop him. There was tense moment of silence before Mondo's fist relaxed and he growled, "You ain't worth my time, pretty boy."

Mukuro smirked despite the situation. Looked like the biker wasn't all talk after all.

Kyoko ignored the spat. "We should wait for the others to arrive before discussing this further."

"There really is no need to wait for the others." Byakuya crossed his arms over his narrow chest, his expression pompous as ever. "The culprit is obvious."

"Is that so?" Kyoko asked. "By all means, please enlighten us."

Byakuya scoffed. "I am well aware that none of you could be described as coming from money, but would it be too much of a stretch for me to assume that you've had access to a television over the last few months?"

The door opened and Toko stepped inside. Her face immediately turned the color of spoiled milk. She turned on her heel and beat a hasty retreat back the way she'd come. Mukuro followed, Makoto a step behind.

"Toko, wait!" Mukuro called, nearly running to keep up with the other girl.

Toko stopped, gripping either side of her head as if in pain. "I c-can't handle b-blood."

"That's fine," Makoto assured her. "You don't have to go back in there."

"But don't run off," Mukuro added. "If you pull another disappearing act people may assume the worse."

Toko's eyes widened. "W-what? I didn't do it!" She glared at Mukuro, hugging herself. "H-How could I d-do something like that? I f-faint just at the sight of blood!"

It certainly didn't seem logical that the someone as hemophobic as Toko could be capable of the vicious scene in the laundry room. Though it was entirely possible that Toko was faking her fear. "If you don't think you can handle investigating the scene, just stay close by."

"What's g-going on?" a familiar voice asked hesitantly.

Mukuro looked up and locked eyes with Chihiro, who was flanked on either side by Sakura and Aoi. She sighed. "Yasuhiro is dead."

Aoi and Chihiro both gasped, covering their mouths in mirror-images of one another. Sakura, on the other hand, didn't give any indication that she was surprised beyond slightly widened eyes. "That is unfortunate. Are there any suspects?"

"No," Makoto replied, shaking his head sadly. "We haven't had time to look at the scene yet. Everyone's still a little shocked."

"Of course they are!" Aoi cried, tears standing in her eyes. "This is horrible! Who could do such a thing?"

Mukuro grit her teeth. She was doing a good job of putting up a front, but on the inside she felt just like Aoi. Who would do something like this? It wasn't just a murder; it was clear that whoever attacked Yasuhiro took pleasure in their assault. "We need to look at the scene more closely." She paused, trying to think of a gentle way to word what she would say next. "It's…messy," she said, grimacing at how awkward the words were. "There's a lot of blood. Just be ready for it."

Chihiro looked like she was going to be sick. "I'd r-rather n-not see him… If a-at all p-possible."

Makoto smiled reassuringly at her. "That's fine. Can you keep Toko company in the meantime?"

Chihiro nodded her head vigorously. "Y-yes. O-of course."

The scene was just as gruesome upon their return. Kyoko looked up from the splotch of blood she was examining. "How is Toko?"

"She's afraid of blood. That's why she bolted." Mukuro pointed over her shoulder at the door. "Her and Chihiro are going to wait outside."

Kyoko nodded sagely. "I see. It is unfortunate. The more sets of eyes we have the better. But I suppose it cannot be helped." She gestured at the bloody words scrawled above Yasuhiro's corpse. "Byakuya pointed out that these words are the calling card of an infamous serial killer. Do any of you recall someone called Genocide Jack?"

Mukuro had never heard the name before, but she saw the others' faces light up in recognition. Aoi was the first to speak. "That's right! He's been all over the news for the past few months!"

"Indeed," Sakura said. "I seem to remember he also left the words 'Bloodstain Fever' at all of his crime scenes."

Makoto's eyes widened. "Does that mean someone in here with us is Genocide Jack?"

Kyoko shook her head. "Not necessarily. As Sakura just confirmed, the details of the crimes were relatively well known. This could be nothing more than a copycat."

Byakuya sneered. "It is very doubtful that we are dealing with a mere copycat killer."

Mukuro looked at him. "Is that so? You know something we don't."

Byakuya adjusted his glasses. "Of course I do. Then again, that's not much of an accomplishment given present company."

"Hey!" Aoi glared at Byakuya. "This is serious! Hiro is dead and you're making stupid jokes! What is wrong with you?"

"If you know something, Byakuya, can you please help us out?" Makoto implored, trying to diffuse the shouting match before it began.

Byakuya sighed. "Very well. I just so happened to have an interest in the cases of this particular serial killer before being scouted for Hope's Peak Academy. By reading police files I discovered several aspects of his Modus Operandi that were not released the general public."

Mondo had apparently heard the discussion and made his way over to the group. He scowled. "That's real convenient. How'd someone like you get hold of something the pigs were trying to keep under wraps?"

"When you have prestigious blood and access to the necessary funds you'll find that very few things are beyond your grasp."

Mukuro could hear Mondo's teeth grinding from three feet away.

"Interesting," Kyoko said, touching her finger to her chin. "I would be interested in hearing what you learned from these files."

"There are plenty of minor details that seem to line up; from a tendency to carve intricate designs into his victims' flesh to attacking only male victims. But the most important evidence is how Yasuhiro is positioned." Byakuya pointed to the blades that were impaled through Yasuhiro's palms. "Genocide Jack always killed his victims by crucifying them with scissors."

"So you say," Sakura said. "But we don't have any way of confirming these claims."

Byakuya shrugged, smirking. "No, you don't. You'll just have to take me at my word."

A moment later, the remaining students filtered into the laundry room. Mukuro was surprised to see Kiyotaka, the resident early bird, among the late arrivals. His suit was dishevelled and it was clear that he'd rushed here straight out of bed.

"What on Earth is going on?" Kiyotaka exclaimed, recoiling at the sight of Yasuhiro's disfigured corpse.

There were several more cries of surprise from the arriving students, but the sickly-sweet voice of Monokuma cut through the chatter. "Good morning, everyone! What a beautiful turn of events!"

"This is fucking sick," Leon said, covering his mouth with his hand.

Monokuma waved a paw at him. "Now, now. Everyone calm down. I'm sure you're all very excited to get started with your first investigation, but we have to go over the rules first."

"Investigation? Rules? What the fuck are you talking about you son of a bitch?" Mondo was visibly restraining himself from attacking the animatronic bear.

Monokuma laughed, clutching his stomach. "Isn't it obvious? You have to investigate the crime scene to see if you can discover the blackened! Now I know that none of you are detectives, so I've decided to give you a little help. Consider it a cheat code!" Monokuma dug around behind his back before producing a folder out of the ether. "Ta-da! It's the Monokuma File!"

He waddled across the room to Mukuro and extended the folder to her. She looked at it warily for a moment before snatching it out of his paw. "What is this?"

Monokuma laughed again, shaking his head. "I know you aren't the brightest girl on the block, but why don't you try opening it before asking stupid questions."

You were always stupid, big sis. But stupid dogs have their uses, too.

Mukuro recoiled as if she'd been slapped. "I'm sorry." She said the words without a second thought. She blinked, shaking her head. She glanced to her right to see Makoto looking at her in concern.

"You'll have time to look through the folder later. For now, listen up! After a certain amount of time has passed, a class trial will begin! It is there that you will render a verdict of whodunit. If you pick correctly, only they will be punished; pick incorrectly, though, and everyone else will be punished!"

"What do you mean by punished?" Celeste asked.

Monokuma grinned, his teeth flashing. "Execution, of course." He paused as the students gasped in shock. "You are playing a death game! Of course the stakes are life and death!"

"This is ridiculous!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Whoever committed this heinous act step forward immediately!"

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt it will be as easy as that." He turned his gaze to Mukuro. "Let me see that file." He held out his hand expectantly.

Mukuro ignored him, opening the folder and reading the words out loud. "The victim's name is Yasuhiro Hagakure. Time of death was approximately 1:04. His body was discovered in the laundry room at eight fifteen by Mondo Owada. The victim was killed on top of washing machine number four." She grimaced. "The cause of death was exsanguination caused by multiple lacerations inflicted to the body. All wounds were inflicted perimortem."

"That's sick," Leon repeated, running his fingers through his hair.

"Perimortem?" Sayaka asked, confused.

Kyoko frowned. "It means that all of the injuries we see were inflicted before Yasuhiro died."

Sakura shook her head. "This was unnecessarily cruel. Why would someone want him to linger?"

"Could Byakuya be right?" Makoto asked uneasily. "Could Genocide Jack be in here with us?"

Mondo folded his arms across his chest. "I doubt that psychopath could be a high school student. Some of his victims were grown men."

"Maybe he's not a student?" Aoi suggested. "Maybe he's hiding somewhere in the school?"

Monokuma made a buzzing noise. "Nope! The killer is definitely a student here at Hope's Peak!"

Byakuya glared at him. "Since you are so sure, can we assume that you know the killer's identity?"

"How else could I render judgment?" Monokuma jabbed a paw in the direction of the camera. "Of course I know! I watched the whole thing. Very brutal."

"You're telling me some teenager went on a killing spree and never got caught?" Mondo asked, glaring at the bear. "Bullshit."

Byakuya laughed. "Please. I see three people in this room who could conceivably overpower an adult. And you're stupid, but idiots get lucky every day."

Mondo rounded on him. "You saying I did it you little shit?" He didn't raise his voice, which made the question sound even more sinister.

Byakuya shrugged. "I'm only suggesting that it is possible. The same could be said of Makoto's attack dog. Sakura is also a possibility."

"Before we begin pointing fingers, perhaps it would be prudent to investigate the crime scene?" Kyoko asked, diffusing the situation with a single question.

The group fanned out, looking around the gore-splattered room. Mukuro's eyes were immediately drawn to an open magazine that was laying on the table. It was an occult magazine. She scanned the page; it detailed a ritual that was meant to grant the evoker's wish. Mukuro waved Makoto over.

"I think I know why Yasuhiro was out after dark," she said as Makoto approached.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Mukuro pointed at the article. "He was trying to perform a rite. Apparently it would grant him a wish if he succeeded." Her finger trailed across the words. "But it needed to be performed at the stroke of midnight."

Makoto nodded. "I suppose that makes sense." He paused, then frowned and shook his head. "But why did he need to be in the laundry room? Why not just do the ritual in his dorm, where he was safe?"

Mukuro pursed her lips, thinking. She read a little further then grimaced, pointing at what she'd seen. "It says the ritual needs to be performed in a clean room."

Makoto blinked. "So he came in here because he thought it was the cleanest room in the school?"

Mukuro shrugged. "He is-" She stopped, wincing. "He was a little eccentric. It seems like something he would do. Don't you think?"

Makoto's eyes flickered over to Yasuhiro's body. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed, his voice sad. "Let's keep looking for clues. I hate to think that one of our friends could do this, but I want Yasuhiro to have justice."

Friends, huh? Mukuro nodded. "Yeah."

Mukuro went back to investigating the scene of the crime, but after several minutes of searching she was forced to conclude that there was nothing else to find. She stopped in front of Yasuhiro's body and looked down at him.

She'd hardly known him, but Yasuhiro had seemed like a good guy. He was weird; there was no denying that, but he'd been nice to her.

Hey, Mukuro! Let me read your palm!

Mukuro winced, curling her fingers into fists to resist the knee-jerk reaction to clutch her head that always accompanied her visions. She was tired of scaring everyone. She was tired of looking weak.

I promise not to charge you anything unless my predictions come true!

Her vision swam and Yasuhiro appeared in front of her. He was translucent, and Mukuro was acutely aware that she could see Yasuhiro's mutilated body through the specter's chest. "Yasuhiro?" she asked softly, glancing around nervously.

"Come on, let me see your hand!" His voice was distorted, like she was hearing him from underwater. He reached forward as if to grab her wrist but Mukuro didn't feel anything. A moment later, he pulled his hand back, dragging an equally translucent arm.

Mukuro gasped, jumping to the side and whirling around. She froze. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing. "What the hell…?"

The ghostly Yasuhiro was holding the hand of a very disgruntled – and not to mention translucent – Mukuro Ikusaba. She was standing in the same spot that Mukuro had been standing a moment ago, but instead of a school uniform she appeared to be wearing pajamas. A laundry basket was propped on her hip, and she was glaring at Yasuhiro. "Come on, Hagakure. I don't have time for this."

Mukuro's stomach was doing summersaults. She blinked, shaking her head. But the specters didn't leave.

"It'll only take a sec," Yasuhiro's specter assured, staring at the palm of Mukuro's double. He frowned, shifting his gaze from her palm to her eyes. "You've had a hard life, haven't you?"

As the specter spoke, words flooded into Mukuro's mind.

Please! Kill me if you have to but don't hurt my daughter!

Daddy? Daddy! Why aren't you moving? Please get up!

No! Get away from me you fucking monster!

Damn Mukuro, what's your kill count up to? You're a fucking artist with that AK.

Mukuro's specter jerked her hand free from Yasuhiro's grasp. "Nothing I can't handle. I followed orders. That's all."

Yasuhiro shook his head. When he spoke, his voice carried none of the airiness that Mukuro had come to expect from him. "You tell yourself that over and over but it doesn't change the truth. You're tired of that life. You don't want to kill people anymore." He paused. His gaze shifted from her specter and for a moment Mukuro could have sworn he was looking directly at her. "And you never will again. I've foreseen it."

"You can tell all that from my palm?" Mukuro's specter growled.

Yasuhiro grinned, scratching the bridge of his nose. "There's a reason I got scouted for this school."

A hand touched her back. "Mukuro?"

The specters shimmered then shattered into dust, vanishing. Mukuro blinked rapidly, shaking her head. "Huh?"

"You're crying," Kyoko said, producing a handkerchief from her jacket and offering it to Mukuro.

"Goddammit," Mukuro growled, taking the handkerchief and wiping her face.

There was a brief pause. "Are you okay?"

Mukuro finished drying her eyes and handed the handkerchief back. "Yeah, thanks." She sniffed, scratching her head sheepishly.

Kyoko looked as though she was going to say something but changed her mind. She nodded. "Very well. Have you discovered anything?"

"No," Mukuro replied, shaking her head. "You?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, I have." She said, holding up a clear plastic bag. "There were several strands of hair between Yasuhiro's fingers. There is too much blood for me to determine a color, but their length has lead me to believe that our culprit could very well be a female."

Mukuro frowned. "If we make the assumption that the killer has long hair, that drastically cuts down on the suspect pool. The only people it could be are Sayaka, Toko, Aoi, Sakura, Celeste and…"

"Me," Kyoko added, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a smile. "However, I'm not suggesting that we take this assumption as fact. The strands of hair could have been planted here to avert suspicion." Her eyes narrowing, Kyoko knelt in front of Yasuhiro's corpse and reached towards his jaw. She slid one gloved finger between his slightly parted lips and fished out a damp scrap of cloth.

Mukuro's eyes widened. "That's..."

"Times up!" Monokuma screamed, making Mukuro jump. The bear giggled. "I'm getting bored, let's get to the trial! Follow me!"

OoOoOo

They were lead to an elevator that took them to a new area of the school. Mukuro's eyes flitted from one classmate to the next. Had one of them really done this?

The elevator lurched to a stop and the remaining fourteen students stepped into an unfamiliar room. Fifteen podiums stood in a circle at the center of the room. Mukuro grit her teeth as she saw what already occupied one of the podiums. "Why is that here?"

Monokuma was too busy clambering onto a raised dais to answer her. Once he was settled, he looked at her in confusion. "What?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "You mean the picture?"

Mukuro jabbed a finger at the picture of Yasuhiro that had been crossed out by a large pink X. "Yes, I mean that," she snapped. "Is it really necessary?"

Monokuma giggled. "It didn't seem fair to leave him out of the festivities just because he's dead!"

"You're such a fucking dick!" Mondo exclaimed.

Celeste sighed loudly. "I believe that we have covered this ground more than once already. I for one don't want to be stuck in this dreary excuse for a courtroom for any longer than I need to be. Shall we proceed?"

The students took up positions in the circle of podiums. Mukuro found herself between Makoto and Toko. Mukuro's gaze lingered on the writer; she looked even more distraught than before.

"I think the most likely subject is obvious," Byakuya began. "Out of the entire class, there are only two students who we know nothing about. Between the two of them, only one has shown a propensity to violence." He levelled a finger in Mukuro's direction. "The culprit is Mukuro Ikusaba."

"Pure speculation," Kyoko countered before Mukuro could voice a protest. "Mukuro's outburst was in defense of Makoto, and she merely incapacitated Mondo." Kyoko shook her head. "Barring that, Mukuro has an alibi. I was up until after two o'clock this morning; Mukuro was asleep in her bed the entire time."

Celeste giggled. "That may clear Mukuro of suspicion, but it in turn casts doubt on you." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "You could have easily snuck out of your room while Mukuro slept and killed Yasuhiro at your leisure."

Kyoko nodded. "You are correct. I am a suspect. As are you, Celeste."

"Um…" Chihiro said softly. "I-isn't everyone a s-suspect right n-now?"

"Besides Mukuro, that is," Hifumi added.

Kyoko shook her head, holding up a small, clear bag. "I found these hairs tangled in Yasuhiro's fingers. I suspect that he pulled them out of his killer's head during the attack."

Aoi hit her palm with her fist. "Alright. We can just match up the hair then."

"No, that won't work," Makoto piped in. "There's too much blood. We can't see the color."

"Correct." Kyoko frowned. "If we'd had more time I could have rinsed them off, but apparently Monokuma has a schedule to keep." She shot a brief look at the monotone bear that was snoozing on the dais. "Regardless, there is one thing we can garner from these strands of hair."

Mondo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? If we can't tell the color what good are they?"

Leon's eyes widened. "They're really long. That means the killer has long hair!"

Kyoko nodded. "Just so. Given present company, the odds are high that the killer was a female."

"Do you really think a girl would be able to overpower a guy?" Mondo asked, looking dubious.

"I don't see why not," Leon said. "Mukuro sure knocked you on your ass."

Mondo shrugged, "That's nothing to be ashamed of. The chick hits like a truck. But I guess you're right; I mean, Sakura could probably overpower anyone in this room."

Aoi shook her head. "Sakura couldn't have done it. She stayed in my room last night. We were up pretty late."

Sakura nodded. "That is correct. We didn't go to sleep until well after midnight."

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Is there any particular reason the two of you were staying in the same room?"

Aoi's shoulders slumped. "I've been so scared that I've been having trouble sleeping lately. I asked Sakura to stay over."

Kyoko looked thoughtful. "That narrows our list of subjects even further. As of now, only Celeste, Sayaka, Toko and myself fit the criteria. But I believe that I can narrow the list of possible subjects to one with this," she said, holding up another baggy.

"Oh my, is that a piece of a uniform?" Celeste asked, her voice as sickly-sweet as ever.

"That is correct. It appears to be a scrap from the skirt of a sailor uniform. Yasuhiro must have torn it away during the struggle. He hid it inside his mouth to stop the killer from disposing of it." Her eyes focused on Toko. "The fabric is purple."

Toko looked around frantically, her eyes wild. "W-what!? No! I-I didn't do i-it!" She glared at Kyoko. "C-come o-over here and l-look a-at my s-skirt! I-it's not t-torn at a-all!"

"She makes a valid point," Hifumi chimed in

Mukuro shook her head. "No, think about it for a second. Everyone in here got several sets of the same uniform. Assuming that Toko really did this, she could have changed and we'd have no way of knowing."

Sakura nodded. "Yes, that's true. The killer would have needed to change their clothes. Otherwise there's no way they wouldn't be covered in blood."

"Then it's impossible that Toko killed him." Makoto said. "Toko nearly fainted when she walked into the laundry room."

Mukuro saw the gratitude on Toko's face. Remembering her earlier conversation with Kyoko, Mukuro spoke up. "Makoto makes a good point. Besides, for all we know the evidence we found could have been planted."

Toko smiled hesitantly. "Y-yeah! Y-you guys a-are m-making too m-many assumptions!" She pointed at Kiyotaka. "H-he looks l-like he's been u-up all night! I t-think h-he did it!"

Kiyotaka looked taken aback. "I-Impossible! I would never do such a thing!"

"You do look dishevelled today, Kiyotaka," Mukuro said. "You're normally dressed to the nines. What happened?"

Kiyotaka's gaze fell. "I did not get much sleep last night. Something happened that upset me."

"Oh really. What would that be?" Byakuya asked, his tone condescending.

"Last night, someone knocked on my door." He cleared his throat, his eyes flickering around the room. He started to speak, but seemed to choke on his words. Nothing escaped his mouth but a strangled noise.

"Snap out of it!" Mukuro said sharply. "We don't have time for this shit Ishimaru! I want a full report right now!"

Mukuro didn't know where the words came from, but they had an immediate effect on Kiyotaka. He snapped to attention and looked Mukuro directly in the eyes. "At approximately 23:00 I received a knock on my door! I answered it to find Toko Fukawa in the hallway!" His eyes flickered to Toko. "She told me that she'd locked herself out of her room and she wanted to stay in my room until morning. I agreed, and I gave her a stern lecture for her carelessness!"

"Is that all you did?" Hifumi asked, a line of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Of course!" Kiyotaka replied, unperturbed by Hifumi's innuendo. His face fell. "Miss Fukawa was acting very peculiar. When I was done explaining to her how dangerous leaving her room after hours was, she grabbed me by the collar of my uniform. She said," he paused, blushing. "She said she wanted to discipline me."

Toko's face reddened. "I w-would n-never say anything l-like that to y-you!"

Kiyotaka looked like he was going to clam up again. "Focus Ishimaru! I asked for a report!"

Kiyotaka locked eyes with her again. "Miss Fukawa drew a pair of scissors and attempted to stab me in the throat." He grabbed the collar of his uniform and pulled it down to reveal a bandage. "I was able to fend her off long enough to push her back into the hall." He looked at his feet, ashamed. "I locked the door and ignored her as she continued to beat on my door for several minutes. I can only assume it was when she went to kill Yasuhiro."

"N-no way!" Toko said. "He's lying! I c-can't stand t-the sight o-of blood! W-why would I t-try to k-kill s-someone by s-stabbing them?"

Byakuya pushed his glasses up. "If this girl really is Genocide Jack, pretending to have a blood phobia would be a perfect cover."

"I'm n-not pretending!"

There was one way to find out. Mukuro brought her thumb to her mouth and bit down until she could taste blood. She leaned towards Toko and smeared the bloody digit across her cheek before Toko could react.

Toko jumped violently at the contact and recoiled, one hand rising to touch her face. "Wha-" She froze, staring at the blood on her fingers. Toko's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"Holy shit!" Leon yelled, standing on his toes to get a better look.

"I-is s-she okay?" Chihiro stammered.

"Goddamn, Mukuro! What the fuck was that?" Mondo asked.

Mukuro's face reddened. She hadn't expected Toko to faint. After Kiyotaka's testimony, she'd been sure that the other girl was faking her fear. "I didn't think-"

"Bwahahahahahaha!" A horrifying cackle echoed through the courtroom. Its source was revealed a moment later when Toko jumped back to her feet. "I'm out again? It must be my lucky week!" She cackled again, her tongue slithering out from between her lips to hang out of her mouth.

"T-Toko?" Chihiro said hesitantly.

Toko clutched her belly as more laughter erupted from her mouth. "Kinda, but not really!" She grinned. "Some people call me Jack! But they've never seen my girlish figure! I think it's pretty obvious that I'm a Jill, don't you?"

"Well, this is quite a change," Celeste said mildly. "Are we expected to believe that this is the same girl that couldn't string two words together without stammering?"

Toko's eyes flashed. "You're lucky you're not a boy. I love killing smart asses!" She cackled again. "To answer your question, I both am and am not Toko! I'm the part of her that she represses. I'm her desires given form!" She hugged herself, her eyes rolling back in their sockets. "Isn't it crazy!?"

"Indeed, I think it's quite obvious that you are insane," Byakuya agreed. "I'm guessing it was you who attacked Kiyotaka?"

Toko giggled. "Oh, you're talking about spikey?" Her tongue wet her lips and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Yeah, I was feeling so hot when I woke up! I didn't have much to go by, what with the cartoony pictures on the doors, but oh boy did I pick a winner!" Her face was red, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. "I've always loved sharp dressers! And he looked like a screamer!" Kiyotaka attempted to stammer a response, but Toko ignored him. "I missed my maiming shot cause I was trying not to kill him yet," she pouted, folded her arms over her chest. "He managed to push me out into the hall before I could try again."

Kyoko watched Toko warily. "So you're admitting to your attempted murder of Kiyotaka Ishimaru?"

Toko cocked an eyebrow at Kyoko. "What is this, a courtroom?"

"Um… Y-yes," Chihiro said softly.

Toko threw her head back, cackling. "Oh that's rich!" Her eyes scanned the room. "I looked all over the school and couldn't find an exit, so I figure it's pretty safe to assume you bunch of teenagers are my only companions." She grinned, producing two pairs of scissors from nowhere. "I can take every last one of you, so who's going to be my executioner?"

Monokuma raised one paw lazily. "Yo." He rolled over, eveidently going back to sleep.

Toko grinned. "What a joke! I'm gonna have fun with all of you." He gaze bored into Kiyotaka. "Especially you. I've always wanted to put a top on the bottom!"

"To be perfectly clear, you did kill Yasuhiro Hagakure, correct?" Kiyoko asked.

Toko tilted her head at Kyoko. "Who? Oh! You mean curly?" A line of drool dripped down her tongue and splashed onto the podium. "Yeah, I played with him for hours. He had such a pretty voice." She looked at Kiyotaka. "A poor consolation to spikey over there, but it was quicker than tearing a door off its hinges. I guess curly was just unlucky."

"Well," Kyoko said calmly. "I suppose that settles things."

Mukuro didn't know what to say. Her eyes trailed up to where Monokuma was sleeping on his dais. This was his fault. She felt the sudden urge to attack him.

Monokuma jerked awake and looked around wildly. "Huh? What?" He observed the scene playing out below him and grinned. "It looks like you all are ready to vote! Good thing, too. I was getting so bored! Let's get this show on the road!"

A wooden panel on Mukuro's podium slid back to reveal a screen with pictures of herself and her fourteen classmates. "What do you want us to do?"

"Vote, of course! Touch the face of the persona you think did it." He waved his arms erratically. "And don't think you can get away with not voting! If a decision is not reached within fifteen seconds I'll execute everyone!"

Mukuro stared down at the screen, her heart hammering in her chest. She glanced over at Makoto and winced when she saw how distraught he was. He looked like he could faint at any moment. "Damn it," she growled, tapping the photo of Toko.

A large television slowly dropped from the ceiling. It flickered to life, revealing a slot machine with three Monokuma faces showing. A drumroll began to blare from the televisions speakers. The three slots began to turn. They accelerated into blurs before slowing to a stop; each showed an image Toko Fukawa.

The word "WINNER" flashed on the televisions screen.

"You got it!" Monokuma said happily, hopping down from his dais. "Let's do this!"

A manacle that was trailed by a length of chain came flying out of the darkness. Toko grinned, batting the cuff away with a casual flick of her wrist. "I don't know what the hell's going on!" She cackled. "But this is getting fun!"

More chains erupted from various points around the room. Toko dodged every one of them, hopping from one foot to the other like a gymnast. Mukuro couldn't believe she was watching the same girl that would meekly shuffle around the school.

It was an impressive display, but it was only a matter of time before Toko's stamina ran out. She was a little too slow and one of the manacles closed her throat and yanked her into the stage-like area that made up most of the courtroom.

Toko tried futilely to cut through the chains. After several minutes she gave up. She giggled, looking around. "You got me! What's next?"

A curtain at the back of the room slid open to reveal dozens of faceless mannequins. A loud bass rhythm began to blast, making the jury of students cover their ears in discomfort. "What the fuck!?" Mondo screamed.

"This decibel level is not acceptable in a school environment!" Kiyotaka added.

Mukuro cracked her eyes open and stared in disbelief as the mannequins began to run towards Toko. "What the hell?"

You should see all of the toys I'm getting from the Towa group! It looks like Monaca was a good investment!

Toko scissors flashed as she danced among the mannequins, heedless of the collar that hung around her neck. She cut them down one after the other, but there was always another one to take the place of the one she'd just dispatched. It didn't take long for them to begin to overpower her. Two mannequins restrained Toko's arms. Another loomed over her, its expressionless face staring down at her. It gripped her chin, forcing her head back.

The music abruptly cutout. Toko's voice drifted across the room, the only sound in the dead silence. "This isn't so bad…" Then her nose wrinkled, and Toko Fukawa sneezed. "What's going on?"

Mukuro's eyes widened as she saw the scissors that had appeared in the hands of every mannequin in the room. "No-"

The mannequin holding Toko's chin buried its scissors into the exposed flesh of Toko's throat, spraying its fellows in pink. Toko screamed loudly as more scissors sank into her unprotected body. "What's happening!? Someone please help me! I'm scared!" The scissors continued to fall, never hitting anything vital.

The curtain that covered the back wall was pulled up once again to reveal a giant pair of scissors. "Oh my God." Aoi said.

"Stop it!" Makoto screamed, taking a step forward.

Mukuro was beside him in an instant, her hand closing over his. "Makoto, there's nothing we can do." Makoto looked at her, and Mukuro's stomach dropped when she saw the tears that were standing in his eyes.

Toko writhed within the crowd of mannequins, her screams growing hoarse as the giant pair of scissors made its slow approach.

"Don't look, Makoto." Mukuro couldn't take her own advice. Her eyes were stuck on the horrific scene before them.

The giant scissors stopped moving, its blades poised on either side of sea that surrounded Toko. "What did I do!? I'm sorry! Please h-"

The scissors snapped closed and Toko Fukawa's last words were cut short.

A banner fell from the ceiling with a blast of trumpets and a spray of confetti. The words Rotten Girls' End were emblazoned on the cloth in large pink letters.

OoOoOo

A.N. There we go! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.